Finnikin of the Rock

By Melina Marchetta, 399 pages

Five days is all it takes for nine-year-old Finnikin's life to change. The ruling family of his realm is murdered and a curse is spread on the land making it impossible for people to enter or leave. For ten years Finnikin travels to different countries trying to help his refugee people, until a novice named Evangelin insists that one of the heirs to the throne survived. Suddenly Finnikin is thrown into a massive quest to find the heir and save his people, even though he has his doubts. As the quest progresses, Finnikin feels that Evangalin is not being honest, but can't escape the desperate hope that has kindled inside him or the complicated feelings he has for her. Will the group triumph and restore their homeland to it's former glory? Or is it all a ruse and will the failure destroy the last hope the people of Lumatere?

I was impressed with this book. Although it is epic fantasy, the story was just as much about refugees and the importance of hope to their lives. It is a long read but well worth it, and a much more grown-up fantasy.